CHELSEA Q&A

fightback

The England skipper hasn't had much to cheer about this season but the strike could be vital in United's hunt for the top four

Rooney’s nearest contender in the current squad is Michael Carrick with 24 goals.

To put it in some sort of context, he has scored 95 more than Paul Scholes, who is tenth in the all-time list, and 82 more than Ryan Giggs, who made a record 963 appearances — 419 more than Roo.

Different positions, yes, but if you consider that even Rooney has not played regularly in his favoured striker role for about four years, it looks even better.

His tally is 13 ahead of the great Denis Law, who also has his own statue in the Stretford End’s upper concourse.

Of course, arguments will rain down as to why it should not happen.

After all, if he is afforded one why not Giggs, as his record will never be beaten?

Others will argue that the Class of ’92 should also be honoured with something more permanent than just memories.

But when it comes to what the game is really all about, Rooney is now officially the best United have ever had.

Many United fans will never hold him in the same esteem as the Trinity and especially Sir Bobby, who looked down from the directors’ box last night as his record was finally beaten. The fact Best wasted the latter years of his career is forgotten by misty-eyed fans.

He left Old Trafford aged just 27 when he should have been at his absolute peak.

In Charlton’s last five seasons, in all competitions he scored seven, 14, 8, 12 and seven goals as United finished 11th, eighth three times in a row and then 18th.

Rooney was being earmarked as part of the problem why United have finished seventh, fourth and fifth in the three seasons since Sir Alex retired. But in that time he banged in 19, 14 and 15 goals respectively.

That is 48 goals in 118 appearances in the three troubled campaigns before Jose Mourinho took charge last summer — not bad for a player, dare I say it, on the Wayne.

Sir Bobby, by the way, scored 44 in his final 249 matches.

Many will point to ‘The King’ Law’s incredible goals-to-games ratio of 237 in 404.

Rooney has established himself as one of the Premier League's finest ever players

Still, Rooney has scaled a footballing mountain here.

Despite that, however, there will be no clamour amongst some for Rooney to be immortalised — and simply because of the two occasions he tried to leave the club. The first time, in October 2010, he was spot on questioning the club’s ambition at a time when they were not spending enough.

And his second bombshell in 2013 — just as Fergie announced he was stepping down — was simply because he was fed up of being played in a wide role. Not a bad complaint from the team’s greatest hitman.

Both times he was challenging Sir Alex . . . and that never goes down well.

Better to remember his influence over the whole 12½ years at Old Trafford, hitting double figures every season.